News and Commentary Health Affairs Convenes Public Forum to Talk GME

On Wednesday, September 10th in Washington, D.C., Health Affairs, with support from the Macy Foundation, convened a group of experts to discuss the Institute of Medicine’s recent report, Graduate Medical Education That Meets the Nation’s Health Needs. This was the first opportunity to react publicly to the IOM’s report which lays out recommendations on the governance and financing of graduate medical education.

During opening remarks, Dr. George Thibault, president of the Macy Foundation noted that there is significant work to be done moving forward, and that improvements and changes to the GME system will require all stakeholders working together. Echoing this same sentiment, Edward Salsberg, research faculty at George Washington University’s School of Public Health described the IOM’s recommendations as a framework, not a blueprint. “The IOM has not filled in every detail for us,’’ Salsberg said.

Other questions the speakers raised throughout the forum included:

  • What can be implemented without new legislation? (David Sklar, associate dean of GME at the University of New Mexico)
  • Who will steward teaching hospitals through this process? (Steven Lipstein, president and CEO, BJC HealthCare)
  • In moving to a performance-based system, what outcomes and performance metrics are important? How can we create incentives to restructure the workforce? (Debra Weinstein, vice president of GME, Partners Healthcare)
  • In terms of expanding GME for areas with high need, how can we best understand where the need is by specialty and geography? (Stephen Shannon, president and CEO, American Association of Colleges of Osteopathic Medicine)
  • In terms of engaging all stakeholders in future GME decisions, how can we start to involve employers and the general public—families, caregivers, etc.? (Christopher Dawe, former advisor to President Obama and the U.S. Senate Finance Committee)

Attendees also discussed the need for a greater understanding of the GME financial model as a whole, including VA and Medicaid funding and the debt that is borne by students themselves.

Learn more. Download presentations from the September 10th forum.

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